CORNING – More than a dozen people interested in the future of the Sacramento River buckled their life vests and applied their sunscreen Thursday for the annual river boat tour by the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum.

The tour’s purpose was to learn the goals and elements of the Kopta Slough Flood Damage Reduction and Habitat Restoration Project – in other words, the plan to prevent flooding and save the birds and the beetles near Woodson Bridge.

The project’s goals, said Aric Lester, senior environmental scientist for the Department of Water Resources and the project lead, are to restore the ecosystem, reduce flooding and erosion, protect habitat and provide recreation opportunities between river miles 218 and 223.

These goals can be met by:

Protecting the west abutment of Woodson Bridge and the Corning sewer outfall, which could be clearly seen in the water Thursday;

Removing unnecessary rocks along 5,600 feet of the riverbank at the Kopta Slough property to restore the natural water flow and mitigate for the loss of habitat;

Reducing riverbank erosion on the east bank of the Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area to preserve heritage oak trees and develop camping, picnicking and recreational facilities;

Transferring the 708-acre Kopta Slough property from the California State Controller’s Environmental Trust to the state for management by State Parks, which would include expanding the recreation area;

Restoring 176 acres of mixed riparian forest on the Kopta Slough property as mitigation for flood control projects.

Corning residents have complained about the erosion, which has been a problem for several years.

The shoreline at Woodson Bridge eroded 5 feet in January, California State Parks Superintendent Denise Reichenberg said at a previous meeting about the project.

Although it is a concern, erosion at Woodson Bridge is actually occurring very slowly, said Koll Buer, who retired from the Department of Water Resources. The slowest banks erode 50 feet every 100 years, and the fastest banks erode 7,000 feet in that same time. The bank at Woodson Bridge erodes zero to 50 feet every 100 years, but may seem like more because the ground breaks off in chunks.

Another concern is erosion will cause Woodson Bridge to collapse, but that is not realistic, said Lester.

However, the completed project would increase the number of years down the line that the bridge could stand.

The project has been in the works for more than a year, but still has several years to go, Lester said. The parties involved – Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum, Department of Water Resources, Tehama County Flood Control and Conservation District, California State Parks and the Nature Conservancy – are planning and paying for a feasibility study to measure the strengths and weaknesses of the project. The study will hopefully be completed in January but could be delayed.

Factoring in the study, designs, permits and construction, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2011 if it is approved.

The latest information regarding the project will be posted on the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum’s Web site at www.sacramentoriver.org/SRCAF. Questions about the project can be directed to the SRCAF at 528-7401.